Wonderful Journey
by Mystic83
Summary: Samantha Summers is a ballerina who is having troubles finding a way to dance from her heart. But luckily, she has a great sister and new brother-in-law who know the perfect person to get her to meet. Together, maybe Sam will find it in her heart to go th


ppBlink paused outside the large mansion he had spent the last few hours envisioning.   
He couldn't believe this. He was actually in the 'good' section of the city and he had been  
invited to come here.   
  
pThe mansion he stood in front of buzzed with energy. There was a wedding being  
held there in a few days. That's why Blink was there. He was in charge of publicizing the  
big events. It's also helped that the man getting married was his best friend.  
  
pBlink stood on the lawn of the Summers' mansion for a few minutes, just absorbing  
the whole situation. But suddenly, he was interrupted by shouts coming from the house.   
They were directed towards him. A beautiful girl came running out of the house and into  
his arms.  
  
p"Blink!" she cried. "I haven't seen you in so long. Gosh, what have you been up to?"  
  
pBlink laughed at Natalie Summers enthusiasm. True she was getting married in a few  
days but still, no one should be that awake at this time of the morning.   
  
p"For god's sake, Natalie, the sun is just beginning to rise. Where do you get all this  
energy?" Blink asked.  
  
p"You're telling me," Mush agreed as he come out of the house. "Hey, Kid. What are  
you doing here?"  
  
p"Turns out your wedding is starting to be big news in the city. I mean, the youngest  
Summers girl is getting married. And to a street urchin. Can you imagine the scandal?"   
  
pNatalie giggled at the way Blink had just slid into his sleezy newspaper reported voice.   
She remembered the first time Mush had told her Blink worked for The New York Sun.   
The two best friends had started a scheme to make her think he was some rat who made a  
living digging up dirt on the city's debutantes. Luckily, that wasn't the case.  
  
p"Anyway, The Sun sent me out here to get pictures. They want some before, during,  
and after shots. So, who better to get them then the groom's best friend?"  
  
p"They're geniuses," Mush commented.  
  
p"I have a question, though," Natalie said. Mush noticed the way her eyes were  
sparkling with mischief and knew something was up. "Where are you going to stay while  
you're taking these photos? I mean, you obviously can't stay with us. We're too busy  
with all the preparations to worry about you. I mean, did The Sun book you a suite in a  
nearby hotel or what?"  
  
p"Actually, I was kinda hoping you guys could squeeze me in. That's another reason  
why I was asked to do this job. They knew that if they used me, they wouldn't have to  
pay for a place for me to stay. Please, Natalie. You know I won't be a problem." Blink  
dropped to his knees, clasped his hands together, and made the best puppy face he could.  
  
p"You are such a silly goose," Natalie said, playing swatting at Blink. "Of course you  
can stay with us. We'll always have room for an ex-newsie. But what I did say about us  
not having time to worry about you is true. So, I was thinking..." Natalie looked up at  
Mush and at the same second, they said the answer.  
  
p"Sam."  
  
p"You mean your sister, Natalie?" Blink asked, throughly confused. He had no idea  
what Natalie's sister had to do with him staying at their house.  
  
p"Yeah, Sam would be my sister," Natalie said, not wanting to give up the information  
Blink wanted that easily.  
  
p"And what does she have to do with anything?" Blink asked, seeing that Natalie  
wasn't telling him everything she should be.  
  
p"Well, if we can't give you our undivided attention, then Sam can. See, she has a little  
trouble around guys. Especially ones as cute as you," Natalie said as she pinched Blink's  
cheek. "So, if she got to know one as nice as you, then maybe she'd get a little more  
confidence. Then, she'll find the happiness that I have."  
  
p"Oh no. Don't you start getting lovey-dovey on me!" Blink warned. "I don't think I  
can take it."  
  
p"Still upset that Cindy dumped you?" Mush asked, referring to Blink's old girlfriend.  
  
p"Yeah. I mean, I knew we weren't all that serious. It's just I thought that someday  
we might get to the point in which we decide to spend the rest of our lives together."  
  
p"Obviously she wasn't 'the one'," Natalie remarked. "If she was, you would have  
known that someday in the future you'd get married. Like Momma always said, you  
know when you meet the one. She said it was like that when she made Father."  
  
pNatalie's eyes started to tear up and she had to turn away so that Blink wouldn't see  
her cry. Mush patted her on the shouder and led her back inside. A few moments he  
came back out.  
  
p"She's still upset about her father's sudden death. I mean, one minute she thought her  
father would be walking her down the aisle. The next, he's gone," Mush explained.  
  
pNatalie's father, Victor, had passed away a few weeks earlier in his sleep. The doctor  
said that nothing was wrong with him. It was just his time. The whole family was still  
trying to get used to his absence.  
  
p"I'm sorry," Blink told his friend. "I know it must be hard on you. Seeing your future  
wife and her family in so much pain. Maybe this wedding is just what you guys need to  
take your mind off it, though."  
  
p"Maybe it is," Mush said absentmindedly.  
  
p"You look pretty distracted. Tell you what. I'll go find the infamous Sam and you go  
tend to your one and only."  
  
pMush nodded his agreement and Blink entered the house. Only after he had shut the  
door did a thought occur to Mush. Natalie and Samantha didn't look a thing alike. That  
was one of the things that got him into this whole situation. Blink had never seen Sam so  
he didn't know she looked more like her mother than Natalie.   
  
pSam was average height and had curly blonde hair that she had been growing out since  
she was little. At this point, it reached a little below her waist. Natalie was rather short  
and had straight brown hair. Recently, Natalie had gotten it all cropped off, opting for  
some comfort from the summer heat.  
  
p"Oh well. He'll figure it out soon," Mush said as he walked into the house to find  
where Natalie had wandered off to.  
  
pBlink, meanwhile, was wandering throughout the house, humming softly to himself.  
"God! This place is huge," he murmured to no one in particular.  
  
p"I know" came a voice behind him. "I thought that the first time I walked through  
these halls, too."  
  
pBlink turned around and smiled as he saw who was talking. The girl looked to be in  
her early twenties and she definitely looked like she knew her way around the place.   
Realizing he was staring, he shifted his gaze to the room he was standing in the doorway  
of.  
  
p"Wow. This place even has it's own dance studio?" he cried.  
  
p"Actually, only I use it. Natalie and Mother were never big on dancing." The girl  
walked into the room and stood next to Blink. Holding out her hand, she introduced  
herself. "Samantha Summers. And you must be Kid Blink."  
  
p"Yeah. How'd you know?"  
  
p"Your smile. Natalie told me all about the newsies. And she told me if I ever met  
you, I'd know you by your smile."  
  
pBlink couldn't think of anything to say so he did what was most natural to him. He  
smiled. Samantha started laughing.  
  
p"Do you do anything but smile?" she asked through her giggles and tears.  
  
p"Yes. I take pictures. For the New York Sun."  
  
p"Wow. That's an impressive job. I take it you're not a newsie anymore. Mush said  
he was the first one to get a real job but the others weren't far behind him. It's took bad  
really. I mean, being a newsie sounded like such a carefree and fun way of life. Look at  
me," Samantha suddenly realized. "I'm babbling. I always do this when I'm around  
people I've just met. It was like the time--"  
  
pBefore Samantha could tell Blink her story, the grandfather clock in the main hall  
chimed twelve. Realizing that meant it was time for her to practice, Samantha turned to  
leave the room.  
  
p"I'm sorry, Blink. I can't stay and chat. It's noon. Which in the Summers household  
means it's time for me to practice my dancing. Did Mush and Natalie send you around the  
house to take pictures?" Samantha asked.  
  
p"Actually, they sent me to find you. It seems like they've awarded you with the job of  
babysitting me."  
  
p"Babysitting? Aren't you old enough to take care of yourself?"  
  
p"Yeah. They just know I get into a lot of mischief easily. They thought you could  
watch out for me. Keep me out of trouble. Keep me from breaking priceless heirlooms?"  
  
pSamantha laughed lightly. "All right. You sit right here. I'm going to go change into  
my dancing clothes. After I'm done praticing, we can go eat lunch out by the lake."  
  
pBlink nodded and sat on a simple wood chair that was right behind. Samantha waved  
and ran upstairs. As soon as she was out of site, Blink fell back in his chair.  
  
p"I don't know what Natalie and Mush were thinking when they said she was a little  
boy shy," he though to himself. "But they were sure wrong. She's one of the most foward  
people I've met in a real long time. Plus, she's not too hard on the eyes." Blink chuckled  
to himself when he thought of the differences of Samantha and Natalie. "You wouldn't  
even know they were sisters if they didn't live in the same house."  
  
pBlink relaxed in his chair more and took in what the room really looked like. It had a  
simple wooden floor and the walls were all mirrors. There was a bar along one whole side  
of the room. In the far corner, there was a small piano with a record player on it. Next to  
that was a small dresser.  
  
p"Yep. Definitely a dancer's studio," Blink said.  
  
p"What else would you think it was? A cell in an insane asylum?" Samantha asked as  
she came back into the room  
  
pBlink smiled and turned to look at her. What he saw shocked him.  
  
pSamantha stood in front of him in a pink leotard and tights. She had a little pink  
dancing skirt wrapped around her waist. Blink wasn't used to seeing girls in such  
revealing clothing. Nowadays, if she had been seen wearing that on the street, she would  
have been branded a slut and cast away.  
  
p"Stop staring," Samantha said. "These are my dance clothes. If you can't handle it,  
you can wait outside for me."  
  
p"I can handle it." Blink swallowed rather hard. "I can handle it. Go dance the  
afternoon away, Sam!."  
  
pShe shot him a look at the use of her nickname but said nothing more. Walking over  
to the dresser by the piano, she opened the top drawer. She slid the toe shoes she had  
pulled out onto her feet and put a record on the record player.  
  
pAs the music began to play, she started moving her feet through the five positions. As  
the music got a little higher paced, she started dancing around the room in circles. Blink,  
meanwhile, was sitting on the side of the room. He found the song so familiar but he  
couldn't place where he had heard it from.  
  
pAs the song ended, he stood up and walked over to the record player. "Could we play  
that again?" he asked Samantha.  
  
p"Sure. That was just my warmup dance. I can do the real dance to it now. Why do  
you want to play it again?"  
  
p"I remember hearing it from my childhood. I kinda wanted to remember the words."  
  
pSamantha nodded and started the record again. As the beginning few notes started,  
the words slowly flowed back to Blink and he started to hum, then sing.  
  
p"No one told me I was going to find you.  
brUnexpected, what you did to my heart  
brWhen I lost hope you were there to remind me this is start."  
  
pAs Blink was about to begin the chorus, Samantha pulled him to the middle of the  
floor. She quickly started to dance again, but this time with him. Blink continued to sing.  
  
p"And life is a road and I want to keep going  
brLove is a river I want to keep flowin'  
brLife is a road now and forever, wonderful journey  
  
pI'll be there when the world stops churning  
brI'll be there when the storm is through  
brIn the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you."  
  
pWhen the chorus ended, Blink spun Samantha out so that she stopped about ten feet  
away from him. She held up her hand to keep him from singing. Smiling like she knew  
something he didn't, she began to sing.  
  
p"We were strangers on a crazy adventure."  
  
pBlink managed to pick his jaw up off the floor so he could continue to sing.  
  
p"Never dreaming how our dreams would come true."  
  
pBoth turned to face the other who was still a good distance apart from them.  
  
p"Now here we stand unafraid of the future at the beginning with you."  
  
pGetting wrapped up in the song, both of them began to dance the same steps at their  
places apart from each other.  
  
p"Knew there somebody somewhere, I knew love in the dark  
brNow I know that dreams will live on  
brI been waiting so long, nothing's gonna tear us apart"  
  
pAt the end of the bridge, they were finally close to one another again. Blink grabbed  
Samantha's arm and whipped her into a very fast twirl. He pulled her out of it and they  
began dancing together again.  
  
p"And life is a road and I want to keep going  
brLove is a river I want to keep flowin'  
brLife is a road now and forever, wonderful journey.  
  
pI'll be there when the world stops churning  
brI'll be there when the storm is through  
brIn the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you."  
  
pAt the end of this chorus, the music died out and the two sang accapella. Samantha   
began to dance around Blink again.   
  
p"Hey, life is a road and I want to keep going  
brLove is a river I want to keep goin' on, starting out on a journey  
brLife is a road and I want to keep going  
brLove is a river I want to keep flowin'  
brIn the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you"  
  
pShe ended with her fingertips just barely touching Blink's outstretched hand.  
  
pThe couple were startled out of their positions by clapping. Standing in the doorway  
was Mush, Natalie, and a few more familiar faces.  
  
pBlink began to blush at the site of his friends. He walked right past them and out the  
door. Sam ran after him shouting, "All of you, stay right here. We'll be back."  
  
pIt took her a good half hour but she eventually found him sitting by Lily Lake, his feet  
dangling off of the bridge. She silently sat down next to him and looked out at the  
horizon. Sighing, Blink turned to her.  
  
p"So where'd you learn to sing like that?" he asked.  
  
p"I don't know. I've always been good at it. Where'd you learn to sing and dance like  
that?" she asked him in return.  
  
p"I don't know. Same reason. I've always been good at it. All the newsies have. I  
guess it's like an unspoken requirement. Our little Mushie can sing and dance, too."  
  
p"No way!" Samantha said standing up. She stuck out her hand and pulled Blink up.   
The two began strolling back to the house in silence.  
  
pWhen they reached the front door, Sam yanked Blink to the side.  
  
p"You know, you really are a good dancer. Better than some of the partners I've been  
stuck with."  
  
pBlink just nodded and went inside. Samantha followed. As they were nearing the  
dance studio where they heard voices, Sam grasped his hand. Blink smiled at her and  
together, they pushed the door open.  
  
pEveryone in the room paused when they came in. No one said a word. It was like  
they were all too afraid to comment on what had happened earlier. Finally, Mystic got up  
the courage to speak.  
  
p"You know, that was really amazing, you two."  
  
p"Thanks," Samantha said. "I never knew I had it in me. I'm guessing neither did  
Blink." Realizing she hadn't introduced herself, she stuck out her hand. "I'm Samantha  
Summers, Natalie's sister."  
  
p"I know," Mystic said. "Nate told us when you were off rounding up our Blinkie. I'm  
Mystic and this is Skittery." Mystic pointed to a tall muscular man in the corner. "He's  
my husband. That shrimp over there is Spot Conlon."  
  
p"Hey! I resent that," Spot called from his seat.  
  
pEveryone laughed at Mystic's little joke. They all remembered the early days when  
Spot's body wasn't as toned as it was in the present day. When the laughter died down,  
the room became silent again.  
  
p"You know, Mystic's right, Sam," Natalie said, walking over to her sister. "That was  
really good. Better than I've ever seen you dance."  
  
p"Well, when you have a good partner..." Sam trailed off looking over at Blink who  
was talking to Skittery on the other side of the room.  
  
p"You should consider putting it on as a part of a show," Mush suggested. "You could  
earn a few extra bucks on the side."  
  
p"That'd be fun. But Blink would never agree to do it. I think he's a little embarassed  
of his talent to sing and to dance. You know, it was kinda evident the way he bolted when  
you guys started clapping."  
  
p"That's not why he bolted," Mush said, looking at his best friend who had begun to  
sing while Skittery played the piano.  
  
p"What do you mean?" Samantha said, pulling him aside from the others who were  
having their own little conversations. "Why did he bolt if he wasn't embarassed?"  
  
p"It looked to me like he was shook up, not embarassed."  
  
p"Shook up?!? What would possibly do that to him?"  
  
p"You," Mush said simply. When Sam shot him a confused look, he elaborated. "I  
think you connected with Blink on a level he's not used to. You see, when all the newsies  
were growing up, Blink was the one out of all of us that you could call a real ladies' man.   
He always had a girl clinging to him."  
  
p"What does this have to do with anything?" Samantha asked. She heard the hint of  
jealousy in her voice that surprised even herself.  
  
p"I'm getting there. Settle down, Sam." Mush grabbed Sam and sat her down next to  
him on one of the benches that were placed periodically down the whole hall. "Now  
where was I? Oh! That's right. Ladies' man, Blink. So, there was always girls coming in  
and out of his life. Well, he never admitted it to anyone but me. All the girls he had dated  
never liked him." Seeing Samantha open her mouth to ask the obvious question, he held  
up his hand to silence her. "You see, they all dated him to get closer to one newsie or  
another. They knew that Blink couldn't turn a girl down no matter how awful they were.   
So, they dated him to get closer to the guy they really liked."  
  
p"Did it ever work?" Samantha asked, completely wrapped up in the story.  
  
p"Not once. But that didn't stop the girls from trying. It's kind of funny that none of  
them could see the obvious thing. All of us newsies were Blink's friends. We could never  
knowingly steal a girl away from him."  
  
p"How could they not see what a close knit bunch you guys were? I mean, it was  
evident to me and I haven't met more than a handful of you boys."  
  
pMush laughed out loud. "You always were the most observant person I've known.   
But there's more to the story. You see, his last girlfriend. Her name was Cindy. She  
used him like all the others. But this time, she was using him for his connections to the  
Sun. She was the daughter of one of the top reporters in the place. Dating him was her  
way of declaring her independence from her father. And you can just guess what  
happened when her father finally accepted the relationship."  
  
p"She dumped him flat on his face, huh?" Sam said, finally understanding why Blink  
was shooken up. "When he danced with me, I got a little too close to his heart. He was  
scared that I was going to use him like all the other have."  
  
p"Yeah. See, that's kinda why we told Blink that he should get to know you. We  
thought that maybe you could get him to trust girls once more. I mean, you're the  
sweetest girl, besides Nate, and I trust you with my life. I know that you'd never hurt  
Blink the way others have."  
  
p"You're right. I won't hurt him... in any way."  
  
pMush broke eye contact with Sam and started to babble something. She grabbed his  
face and brought it around to look at her again.  
  
p"What did you do Mush?" she asked, not wanting to know the answer. "When you  
don't look me straight in the eyes, I know something's up. What is it?"  
  
p"Well, you see, Nate and I, we... kinda had to tell a little lie to get Blink to trust you in  
the beginning."  
  
p"What kind of lie?"  
  
p"We told him that you were kind of shy around guys you didn't know. And we  
thought he might help you get over that."  
  
p"You didn't..." Samantha got a look of utter disbelief on her face.  
  
pMush shrugged and walked back into the dance studio, leaving Samantha to think  
about the words they had just exchanged. Sighing, she got up and ran to her room.  
  
pAbout fifteen minutes later, Samantha returned to the studio. She had changed into  
one of her nice sun dresses and was now carrying a big wicker basket with her. When  
Blink looked over at her, she motioned for him to come over.  
  
p"I was wondering where you ran off to," he said. "You left with Mush a while ago and  
I expected you to come back with him."  
  
p"I know. But I had to get things ready," Samantha said, leading Blink out of the room  
by his hand.  
  
p"Ready for what?"  
  
p"Lunch."  
  
pSamantha led them all the way outside and into the east yard. Blink just kind of  
stumbled along after her, unsure of where this journey was going to end. It ended in front  
of a big stone wall that had a wooden door in it. Sam turned to Blink and winked.   
Reaching into her basket, she took out a brass key and opened the door. What was inside  
the gate was took both of their breaths away.  
  
p"I forgot that it was so beautiful," Sam whispered to Blink.  
  
pThere was row after row of different kinds of trees. A few lily ponds were visible  
from where they were standing. Sam closed the door behind them and Blink started to  
turn in circles, taking in the whole atmosphere. Painted on the inside of the wall was  
exactly the landscape you would have seen if the wall hadn't been there. It was like they  
were out in the open only they were enclosed in their own little section of it.  
  
pSamantha stopped Blink from spinning. Laughing, she knocked his hat over his eyes.   
"You're going to make yourself so dizzy that you'll pass out. Come on! We have a  
delicious lunch that Hugo made us."  
  
pSeeing the spot she was searching for, Sam sat down on a swing that was hooked  
onto a huge oak tree. She patted the piece of wood that was attached to the oak tree's  
trunk, indicating that Blink should sit down.  
  
p"So, what do you think of this place?" Sam asked as she handed him a sandwich.  
  
p"It's amazing. No, that word doesn't even begin to describe it," Blink said, staring off  
into the distance.  
  
p"I know. I've known about this place for all my life and I still haven't found the right  
words to describe it. You know this place is the reason why my parents bought the  
house."  
  
p"Really?" Blink asked, amazed. "They bought this whole place because of this little  
secret graden?"  
  
p"Yes. You see, my mother helped out an old lady who used to live here. She had a  
way with the land that let her turn any old piece of dirt into something beautiful. She had  
this wall built and raised this garden all by herself."  
  
p"Was she the one who painted the walls?"  
  
p"Yeah. My mother has many hidden talents. Natalie and I are a lot like her. But back  
to the reason this garden is so important. In this very spot, on this swing and that seat, my  
father proposed to my mother. That's why it's so special. This was my parents secret  
place and now my mother has passed it on to me."  
  
p"I'm honored to be able to share it with you," Blink said. "It's great that you're so  
trusting in people. Most girls I know wouldn't ever show me a place like this. There was  
always someone better that they'd rather show things to."  
  
p"Come on!" Sam said, quickly changing the subject. She didn't want Blink to start  
getting depressed. "It's time for dessert. And I know just the thing!"  
  
pSam and Blink ran down row after row in the orchard. Finally, she stopped by an  
apple tree and Blink slammed to a stop right behind her. Hiking up her skirt, she began to  
climb up the tree and she didn't stop until she reached a sitting spot fairly high up the tree.  
  
p"Well, are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to climb up here and  
join me?" she called down to him.  
  
pBlink smiled and started to climb, knowing that now there was no turning back. He  
had begun to fall and he was falling hard.  
  
pp  
align=center*************************************************************  
***********  
  
pThe days flew by and before any one knew it, the wedding day had arrived. Everyone  
was rushing around. Hugo was racing around the kitchen ordering the temporary kitchen  
help around. Samantha was running everywhere, making sure things were running  
smoothly. Blink was taking pictures when they weren't so smooth. Mush was pacing  
around the pool house, where he was getting ready with Jack and Skittery's help. Natalie  
was up in her room, sitting around with Mystic. They were waiting for Sam to return and  
confirm that everything was running smoothly.  
  
pBefore long, people were seated outside waiting for the music to begin. Everyone  
was lining up, preparing to walk down the aisle. Samantha spotted Blink and waved him  
over to their place in line.  
  
p"Are you scared?" she asked, a hint of mischief sparkling in her eyes.  
  
p"Scared about what?" Blink answered with another question.  
  
p"Walking down the aisle with me," Sam retorted.  
  
p"Not at all. And I wouldn't joke about it! You never know, someday we might be  
doing this for real."  
  
p"And pigs have wings," Sam said, pratically choking at the fowardness of this new guy  
in her life.  
  
pThe music started and Samantha and Blink put their little discussion to the back of  
their minds.  
  
pAt the reception, which was also on the lawn of the Summers estate, there was a  
familiar band playing. Snoddy, Snitch, Pie Eater, and Bumlets had formed it while they  
were newsies. Everyone told them they were so good that they could make it in the biz.   
They followed the suggestions and got a job with Medda at Irving Hall. They worked  
their way up to the top.  
  
pAfter a few hours of playing, the band stopped and Snoddy walked up to the  
microphone.  
  
p"I hope you all are enjoying the music. We're going to take a little break from our  
band's music. Because we have two talented people who happen to be the maid of honor  
and the best men who cooked up a little something to entertain you guys."  
  
pSamantha and Blink walked onto the stage. She was wearing a clear blue skirt that  
went over a blue leotard. Her hair was done up but pieces of it were hanging down.   
Blink was wearing the same tuxedo he had on earlier. Only now, his jacket was off and  
his sleeves were rolled up.  
  
pSamantha walked to the middle of the stage and the band started to slowly play. She  
took the microphone in her hand and started to speak.  
  
p"I do swear that I'll always be there. I'd give anything and everything and I will  
always care. Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow, for better, for worse,  
I will love you with every beat of my heart."  
  
pShe placed the microphone back into its stand and began to sing.  
  
p"From this moment life has begun."  
  
pBlink walked to the middle of the stage and began to sing himself.  
  
p"From this moment you are the one."  
  
pThe two grasped hands in the middle of the stage and began to sing together.  
  
p"Right beside you is where I belong  
brFrom this moment on."  
  
p"From this moment I have been blessed," Blink sang.  
  
p"I live only for your happiness," Sam sang.  
  
p"And for your love I'd give my last breath  
brFrom this moment on"  
  
pAs the tempo of the song began to gain, Sam began to slowly dance in circles around  
Blink.  
  
p"I give my hand to you with all my heart," Samantha sang as she danced.  
  
p"Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start," Blink sang, his eyes watching  
Sam as she twirled around him.  
  
pBlink grabbed Samantha's wrist to stop her from turning. The two began to sign and  
dance slowly together.  
  
p"You and I will never be apart  
brMy dreams came true because of you."  
  
pThe tempo gained once more and the couple started to do more intricate dance steps.  
  
p"From this moment as long as I live  
brI will love you, I promise you this  
brThere is nothing I wouldn't give  
brFrom this moment on"  
  
pBlink backed off to one side of the stage and let Samantha have the spotlight. As the  
music began to build once more, Sam looked to Blink across the stage. He nodded and  
she came running towards him. He lifted her right up off the ground and above his head.  
  
p"You're the reason I believe in love," Sam sang as Blink slowly set her down.  
  
p"And you're the answer to my prayers from up above," Blink sang looking straight  
into her eyes.  
  
pBlink and Samantha brought their hands up and put them palm to palm down by their  
sides.  
  
p"All we need is just the two of us  
brMy dreams came true because of you."  
  
pThe pair slowly brought their hands up, leaving them still centimeters from touching.   
When they finally did touch, took one last look at each other and pushed off of each other.  
Samantha began dancing around Blink again.  
  
p"From this moment as long as I live  
brI will love you, I promise you this  
brThere is nothing I wouldn't give  
brFrom this moment"  
  
pPausing on her half of the stage, Samantha began to sing  
  
p"I will love you..."  
  
p"...I will love you," Blink joined in.  
  
p"As long as I live," Samantha sang by herself.  
  
p"From this moment on."  
  
pThe two ended with their heads bowed and their hands palm side to the audience.  
  
pThe whole reception area erupted in a mass of applauses and cheers. Samantha began  
to blush. She wasn't used to performing in front of such a large group. But, Blink ate up  
the attention and began to bow. He took a step and raised his hand in Samantha's  
direction. The applause only got louder.  
  
pSmiling to Blink, she curtsied. Then, she held out her hand. Blink twirled her and  
they walked off the stage hand in hand.  
  
p"That was great," Sam whispered to him as soon as they were out of sight.  
  
p"I know. Who knew I would ever end up dancing on stage of my best friend's  
wedding with the most beautiful girl in the whole world?"  
  
pSamantha blushed and looked away from Blink. Blink slipped his hand in hers and  
pulled her in the direction away from the party.  
  
p"Let's not go back into the midst of chaos yet. I want to take a walk."  
  
pSamantha smiled and let Blink guide her away from the safety of the party.  
  
pMeanwhile, in the middle of the dance floor, Natalie turned to her new husband and  
whispered, "I wonder where they went. They should have been back here by now."  
  
p"I'm sure they had better things to do then mingle with a bunch of married people.   
You remember how it was when we first discovered each other."  
  
pNatalie nodded her head, understanding where he was going with this.  
  
pp  
align=center*************************************************************  
**********  
  
pLater that night, after the reception had died down, Natalie and Samantha found  
themselves alone together in Natalie's room while she packed her things. Natalie kept  
sending Samantha strange looks.  
  
pGetting fed up with it, Samantha finally asked, "What is it?"  
  
p"Nothing. It's just great to see my big sister finally happy."  
  
p"What do you mean by that?" Sam said, smacking Natalie in the arm.  
  
p"Well, you and Blink. Something's happening, isn't it?"  
  
p"I'm not sure," Sam said, suddenly not so playful anymore. "I want it to so bad. But I  
don't know if he trusts me yet. I don't want to ruin it like I've done for so many  
relationships."  
  
p"I know," Natalie said. She walked over to her sister and put her arm around  
supportingly.  
  
pWhile this all went on, a similar conversation was happening down in the front hall.  
  
p"So, Kid, what's happening between Sam and you?" Mush asked. Seeing Blink's look  
of confusion, he sighed. "Come on. Everyone can see it. You two have something that  
not many people manage to find."  
  
p"And what's that?" Blink asked.  
  
p"A connection that can't be denied."  
  
p"Maybe you're right," Blink whispered as he saw Natalie and Sam begin to come  
down the stars. "Maybe you're right."  
  
pMinutes passed and turned into hours. Hours went by and turned into days. Days  
were lived that quickly turned into weeks. Before anyone knew it, Sam had her first ballet  
in which she was a starring role.  
  
pThe day of the performance, Blink and Samantha were in their secret garden having  
lunch together, like they did practically every day. Out of nowhere, Sam turned to Blink  
and started to stare at him.  
  
p"Whu?" he asked with his mouth full.  
  
p"You are such a pig!" Samantha said, playfully slapping him. "I was just wondering if  
you were going to come to my performance tonight."  
  
p"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Blink said, smiling up at her.  
  
pShe blushed and looked away from him.  
  
p"Gosh, you're so pretty," he said, touching her cheek lightly. "That must be why I  
lo--" Blink cut himself off without finishing his sentence.  
  
p"What?" Samantha asked, desperately wanting him to finish the sentence.  
  
p"Nothing," Blink said, shaking his head. He stood up and grabbed his hat and camera  
bag. "I've got to be getting back. They need me down on Courter St. Seems like there  
was some fire in an apartment street last night and they want pictures for the evening  
edition."  
  
pSamantha nodded and Blink walked away. Both of them knew they had issues but  
neither wanted to face them. Things were going so well, why muck it up?  
  
pp align=center*******************************That  
night********************************  
  
pSamantha stood backstage jumping around trying to keep her muscles loose and her  
body energized. She smiled as she saw Shawn her partner doing the exact same thing on  
the other side of the stage.  
  
p"He's handsome," she though to herself. "But he's no Blink."  
  
pThinking of Blink, she pushed the curtain open a little and peaked out. The seat she  
had reserved him in the front row was empty.  
  
p"He must be running a little late. Maybe some new story came up and they needed  
him somewhere suddenly," she reassured herself. "He'll be here by the time it starts."  
  
pBefore long, the orchestra started to play the opening notes of the ballet. Blink still  
wasn't there but Sam pushed it aside and concentrated on her dancing. By intermission,  
Blink still wasn't there. Samantha silently told herself that he wouldn't miss the whole  
performance and by the time she took her final bow, he'd be out there cheering for her.  
  
pHer final bow came and went. There was still no Blink. Saddened immensely, she  
changed and walked out onto the stage. She wanted to check one last time that he wasn't  
there. The theater was empty.  
  
p"Need someone to walk you home?" Shawn called from behind her.  
  
p"I didn't think so," Sam whispered. "But it looks like I do. It isn't out of your way."  
  
p"That doesn't matter," Shawn said, offering his arm.  
  
pThe next morning, Samantha awoke to a taping on her back. She turned over and saw  
Daisy, the family maid, standing above her.  
  
p"Morning, Daisy," Samantha muttered.  
  
p"Morning, miss. Um... there's a Mr. Jonathan Moore to see you," Daisy said in her  
British accent.  
  
p"Who?" Samantha asked in her morning dazy.  
  
p"He said you would say that. It seems you know him by the name Blink?"  
  
p"Oh," Sam said, the horror coming to her eyes. "Tell him I don't intend on coming  
down to talk to him. And I don't think I'll be... oh never mind! I'll just write him a  
note."  
  
pAfter a few minutes, Samantha signed her name to the bottom of the paper with a  
flurish. She handed it to Daisy and crawled back in bed, taking good care to hold her  
tears in until Daisy was out of the room.  
  
pBlink stood downstairs waiting for Sam to come bounding down the stairs and into his  
arms. He was surprised to see just Daisy returning from the upstairs.  
  
p"Here you go, sir," she said, handing him the note and continuing on her way to the  
dining room.  
  
pBlink opened the note slowly and began to read.  
  
pDear Blink,  
pI'm sorry to have to tell you this so crudely. But I will not be coming downstairs to  
see you. I don't think I'll be seeing you for a long time. You see, my performance last  
night was such a hit. That Mr. Benini, he's the director of a dancing troupe, has hired me  
to dance with his crew in Massachusetts. So you see, I will be gone tomorrow. You  
would understand why he was so thrilled with my dancing if you had bothered to come see  
it last night. But oh well. It's not like we were in love or anything. At least you weren't,  
that's for sure.  
  
pGood luck in your future,  
brSamantha Summers  
  
pBlink let the note fall down to the floor. He stared at the ground where it lay for a  
few moments. Then, he went running up the stairs. He slid to a stop right outside her  
door and started pounding on it.  
  
p"Please, let me in, Sam. I need to talk to you," Blink begged from his side of the  
door. "Please, let me explain to you what happened before it's too late. Sam! I refuse to  
explain to this door. If I ever meant anything to you, you'd let me in. Please... I'm  
begging you."  
  
pBlink got choked up and stopped pleading. He stood by her door for a few moments,  
then made his way downstairs. The second the front door slammed behind him, Samantha  
dashed out of her room. She went to the front door and watched him walked down the  
driveway and out of her life.  
  
p"It's better this way," she reassured herself. "He'll only be a disappointment." Sinking  
down to floor, she began to cry again. "If it's so much better for me, then why do I feel so  
awful?"  
  
pp  
align=center*************************************************************  
**********  
pA few years passed. Blink never heard about Samantha again. He didn't visit Natalie  
and Mush all that often in their new home. Seeing them only reminded him of Samantha  
and his past mistakes.  
  
pBut one day, the memories he had driven to the back of his mind came rushing  
foward. Sitting on his desk, the desk of the greatest photographer of The New York Sun,  
was his new assignment. Seems a world famous ballerina had come back to town for a  
one night show and they wanted him to take pictures of it.  
  
pSighing to himself, he grabbed his camera and started to walk downtown. The editors  
thought it might be nice if he got some pictures of her while the reporter was interviewing.   
As he neared the dance hall, he changed his mind on where he was going and passed right  
by it. Instead, he walked to a very simple but elegant country home that wasn't far away.  
  
pPushing back the metal gate, he walked up to the door and softly knocked.  
  
p"Oh my gosh, Blink! What are you doing here?" Natalie cried, pulling him into a hug.  
"We haven't seen you, in gosh, it must have been six months. What brings you here?"  
  
p"Actually, it's your sister. She's back in town, isn't she?"  
  
p"Oh. I should have told Mush to go and find you. You really needed a warning to  
prepare for this, didn't you?"  
  
p"Um... yes!" Blink said as he walked inside and shut the door behind him. "How long  
have you known she was coming back?"  
  
p"A few months now. She called the second she heard. She sounded so excited. You  
know, coming home, seeing all of us."  
  
p"But not me," Blink said, sitting down on the stairs.  
  
p"I don't know what to say, Blink. You hurt her really bad when you missed that show  
all those years ago. She swore off guys completely at the time."  
  
p"At the time?" Blink asked, noting that statement meant she hadn't sworn them off  
forever. "Does that mean she's found someone?"  
  
p"Well, she's begun seeing her dance partner, Shawn. They danced together in her first  
show, the one you.. uh... didn't see. Why didn't you see it?"  
  
p"I... it's really all my fault. I got a note from Cindy saying she had to talk with me.   
She said she'd meet me an hour before the show started so I thought I had plenty of time.   
Well, she was late and then when she got there, she wouldn't let me leave. She kept  
telling me that she had something really important to tell me but she wouldn't come out  
with it."  
  
p"Did you ever get it out of her?" Natalie asked.  
  
p"Boy, did I. She finally admitted to me that she was pregnant with my baby."  
  
p"No," Natalie said, shaking her head in disbelief.  
  
p"She wasn't," Blink said, reassuring her. "We had never slept together. That's what  
took me so long to show up that night. I had realized something was wrong with Cindy's  
head. I knew that she needed some professional help. So, I took her down to the nearest  
doctor's. She was so scared that I couldn't leave her alone. So, I stayed with her. The  
second she let me go, I went running to the theater. I got there just in time to see Sam  
leaving with another guy. I should have called out to her but seeing her with someone else  
shook me up and I couldn't find the words."  
  
p"Oh wow," Natalie said. Thinking for a second, she turned and looked Blink in the  
eyes, "It sounds like you felt something for Sam that you hadn't exactly told her. Am I  
right?"  
  
p"I was in love with her. I was just afraid to tell her. I mean, with all my past luck  
with women, I was afraid if I confessed my true feelings she'd turn around and tell me she  
was using me."  
  
p"You shouldn't have been afraid, Blink," Natalie paused and looked up at the clock.   
"You know it's not too late to catch her show. Maybe you can have a little talk with her  
after the performance. Stir up some old feelings?"  
  
pBlink smiled and gave Natalie a quick peck on the cheek. Finally knowing what he  
had to do, he practically ran the whole way to the theater. The doors were locked shut,  
though. Banging on them, he waited for someone to answer.  
  
p"I'm sorry, sir, but the show started ten minutes ago. We're not selling any tickets  
now," the old guy who answered the door said.  
  
p"I already have a ticket. I'm with The New York Sun. I'm the photographer. If you  
let me in, I'll wait until a break in the show to get to my seat."  
  
p"All right, sir. But only because you have a job to do here."  
  
pBlink smiled and walked into the theater lobby, taking some very deep breaths.  
  
pp  
align=center*************************************************************  
***********  
pMeanwhile, back behind the stage, Samantha was sitting in one of the chairs,  
practically shaking from nerves. A handsome young blond man came over and put his arm  
around her.   
  
p"There's nothing to be nervous about," he said.  
  
p"I know, Shawn. But there's someone I think who might be out there that well, when  
I left, we didn't part on good terms. And I have a feeling he's out there, waiting for me."  
  
p"I'm sure you're just being silly. If you two had a fight before you left, chances are he  
doesn't want to see you," Shawn said. He stood up and walked to the other side of the  
stage by a little hallway near the back wall.  
  
p"Insensitive oaf," Samantha muttered.  
  
pSuddenly, someone hissed her name. Realizing the orchestra was about to play her  
cue, she got close to the curtain and peaked out. Laughing silently to herself for being so  
foolish as to think he would be there, she got ready to dance. The audience clapped and  
there was a pause in music. Then, it was her time to shine.  
  
pp  
align=center*************************************************************  
***********  
pBlink sat in his seat in awe as he watched Samantha dance around the stage. He  
hadn't realized just how good she really was at dancing until he saw her up on that stage,  
in her element. She looked magnificent, too.  
  
pBefore he knew it, the show was almost over and it was the big finale. Blink's eyes  
were glued to Samantha as she was tossed from dancer to dancer. He couldn't help but be  
a little scared of her being flung into the air so easily. Finally, she was in the arms of the  
last dancer. He watched as she was pulled up into a lift. But something was wrong. He  
could feel it.  
  
pGlued to his seat, unable to move, he watched as the dancer lost his balance and began  
to lose his grip. He watched as Samantha's face was over come with fear. He watch as  
she hit the ground with a sickening crack. But once she hit the ground, he was broken out  
of his trance. He ran to the stage and hopped right up onto it. Leaning over Sam, he  
asked her if she was all right.  
  
p"I don't know. I can't feel either of my legs. Oh god..." Samantha started to  
whimper and then cry. "What am I going to do, Shawn?"  
  
pBlink knew she was talking to him but that wasn't his name. The fall must have jarred  
her mind and thrown things out of whack. She thought he was the guy she had been  
dating. Blink's thoughts were interrupted by a voice.  
  
p"Is she okay?" the voice said, shaking with fear.  
  
p"I don't know," Blink said. He looked up at the voice and noticed that it was the  
dancer who dropped her. Suddenly, things clicked into place. "You're Shawn, aren't  
you?"  
  
p"Yes, who are you?"  
  
p"It doesn't matter who I am. Why are you standing there doing nothing? This is the  
girl you care about lying on the floor, hurt badly. Go get a doctor. Get someone!"  
  
p"I... I can't believe I dropped her. What could have happened? All I know is that I  
can't let the papers cover this. I can't let anyone know it was my fault."  
  
pBy this time, others had come onto the stage to help. Blink let go of her hand which  
he had been holding and stood up.  
  
p"All you can think about at a time like this is yourself. And what's going to happen to  
you? How can you be so..." Blink stopped talking as his temper rushed over him.   
Forgetting everything else except how selfish this Shawn was, he jumped on him and  
started hitting him with all his mit.  
  
pHe wasn't fighting for very long. A bunch of the other dancers pulled him off and  
escorted him all the way out of the theater.  
  
pAs Blink stood outside, worrying about Samantha, but knowing he couldn't go back  
in to see her, a thought dawned on him. Actually, a person's name popped into his mind.  
  
p"Natalie," he whispered and went running down the street.  
  
pp  
align=center*************************************************************  
***********  
  
pSamantha woke up in immense pain and she cried out. She felt someone tighten their  
grip on her hand and turned to see who was sitting with her.  
  
p"Natalie..." she whispered hoarsely.  
  
p"Shhhh. Don't talk. You've been through a lot since yesterday. I'm here, right  
beside you. Always will be, too."  
  
pSamantha smiled and looked up at her little sister. "She's so strong," she though to  
herself. "She was always a lot tougher than me. Funny thing is I think I'm the one who  
needs that strength now."  
  
pSam's thoughts were interrupted by the doctor coming.  
  
p"Ah, Miss Summers. You've awoken. Here let's sit you up."  
  
pTogether, Natalie and the doctor fixed Sam's bed up so that she could see around the  
room. The first thing her eyes rested on were her legs. Her thighs were wrapped up in  
two huge casts. She looked at the doctor with question in her eye.  
  
p"You took a nasty fall on stage, Miss Summers. You landed rather awkwardly and  
broke both of your femur bones."  
  
p"How long will it take to heal?" Samantha asked, seeing the looks on her doctor and  
her sister's faces.  
  
p"We're not sure. They were nasty breaks and it might take up to nine months for you  
to fully heal and be walking again."  
  
p"What do you mean walking AGAIN?" Sam asked, dreading the answer.  
  
p"Well, with those casts on, you won't be able to walk around. You'll need to be in a  
wheel chair. But once the casts are off, we can work on relearning how to walk and  
building up your muscles."  
  
p"Will I be able to dance by the time rehabilitation is over?"  
  
p"I don't know. Your legs might never be able to hold the pressures that dancing puts  
on them. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a little boy in the other room whom I need to  
talk with."  
  
pThe doctor left the two sisters sitting in silence. Samantha started to whimper and  
then cry. Natalie got up out of her chair, sat on the bed, and put her arms around Sam.  
  
p"It's all right. Look to the positive. You're going to live through this."  
  
p"But what if I can never dance again? I don't know how to do anything else. And I  
refuse to live on the family's money."  
  
p"We'll figure something out," Natalie said, giving her sister's body a squeeze. "We  
Summers girls are too strong to let things keep us down."  
  
pMeanwhile, Blink was sitting in his office at the Sun wishing he could scronge up the  
courage to go see how Samantha was doing. He knew that Nate was taking care of her  
but he still wanted to see that she was truly all right with his own eyes.  
  
p"Hey, Jon! Did you hear about that ballerina who got crippled last night?" some guy  
outside the office called in to Blink.  
  
p"Yeah, Manny. I was there when it happened. You remember that girl I told you  
about before?"  
  
p"The one you said you couldn't live your life without? Yeah, I vaguely remember.   
She was a dancer, wasn't she?"  
  
p"She was the best dancer in the whole country. She was also the one who got hurt."  
  
p"Tough break, kid," Manny said. He had always liked Blink, the tough newsboy who  
worked his way to the top, and treated Blink like he was his son. "How's she doing?"  
  
p"I don't know. I can't find the courage to go see her. I mean, what if she doesn't  
want to see me. She can't walk away if she wanted to. She would be stuck in her bed  
while I dragged old pains back to the front of our minds."  
  
p"Then give it some time, kid. You'll see things will look up. And I have a feeling that  
she might be silently begging you to come back some time in the near future."  
  
pMonths passed and Blink still couldn't find it in himself to talk to Samantha. He was  
scared of what would happen if she didn't really want to talk to him. This not knowing  
was the last thread he had still connected to her. If she never fully told him to stay out of  
her life forever, there was still a chance he might be wanted.  
  
pSamantha had been making a slow but sure recovery. Natalie and Mush let Sam live  
with them so they could care for her. They also helped her find the strength inside her to  
force her legs to heal. Within five months, she was out of the wheelchair. Two months  
after that, the doctor said it was all right to try to dance a little.  
  
pFinally deciding she could manage by herself, Sam moved back to her old house. It  
was one of her attempts to reclaim her old life. Lately, she had been spending hour after  
hour in her dance studio. Just trying to make a few more turns flow smooth or trying to  
get her legs to stretch as high as they used to.  
  
pIt actually frightened Hugo, Daisy, and the rest of the staff at the Summers' estate.   
Samantha would be up every night until three or four. She was always last to go to bed  
and she would drag herself out of bed at six or seven, long before anyone else was  
required to be up and about.  
  
pThe staff actually expressed their concern for her right to her face. They told her  
maybe she should take it a little more slow. Like try to dance only an hour or two each  
day. But she'd just assure them that they were being foolish and she would keep on  
dancing.  
  
pOne day, she got completely fed up with it. Dashing around the house with her  
obvious limp, she started doing strange things. Like she asked Hugo to pack her a lunch  
when they all knew she wasn't going outside. She hadn't gone outside since before the  
accident. And she invited a locksmith to come put a lock on her dance studio. When it  
was originally renovated into a studio, she had insisted that no locks be put on because  
"dancing shouldn't be done in secret".  
  
pAround noon, Samantha grabbed her lunch and rushed into the dance studio. She  
slammed the door behind her and the click of the lock locking echoed down the halls.   
  
pHugo sighed from the kitchen. He turned to Daisy who was on break from dusting  
and murmured, "I think she's at her last straw. If she doesn't dance like she used to by the  
end of today, it's all over. We need to be ready to pick up the pieces."  
  
pSamantha kept herself locked up for a good six hours. Finally, she came out to eat  
dinner and go to the bathroom. Daisy stopped her in the hall.  
  
p"Are you all right, Miss Samantha?"  
  
p"I'm fine, Daisy," Sam replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
p"Are you going back into your studio?" Daisy asked, trying not to let her concern  
show too much.  
  
p"Yes, I am, Daisy."  
  
p"Could you please leave the door unlocked this time? For Hugo's sake. The man has  
been running around the kitchen all afternoon. He's afraid that if you need our help, he  
won't be able to get to you."  
  
p"Sure, I'll leave it open. You two can come and check on me from time to time if it  
would make you feel better."  
  
pDaisy smiled and began to start her dusting again.  
  
pSamantha brushed the maid's kind words aside and began to focus on her dancing or  
lack of once more.  
  
p"I've just got to reteach myself how to dance," Samantha softly whispered to herself.  
"If I don't dance, then there's nothing left for me."  
  
pTurning on a familiar recording from her sister's wedding, Samantha smiled to herself.   
She remembered what life was like back then. She really didn't have the pressures that  
she now had on her life back then.  
  
pPushing the tears that were coming to her eyes back, she began to stretch slowly. The  
reason she was drudging up such hard memories for her to live was she believed that if she  
began to dance to something that effected her so much emotionally that maybe it would  
shake her into dancing without worrying how much it hurt.  
  
pShe began to stand on her toes and walk slowly across the room. In truth, this really  
didn't hurt her legs all that much as it did in the beginning. But the twirling, that's what  
killed her legs.  
  
pSighing to herself, she began to spin in circles. She was doing rather well until all the  
sudden her legs buckled, throwing her down on the floor hard.  
  
pSurprisingly, she felt a pair of hands helping her up.  
  
p"Thanks, Hugo. I didn't hear you come... in..." Samantha's voice slowly trailed off as  
she realized it wasn't Hugo was had helped her up. "Blink," she whispered.  
  
p"Hi, Sam. You're doing real good. I didn't know you had gotten your dancing back  
on track."  
  
p"You call that dancing?" Samantha asked. Her voice shook as she spoke. "I don't  
know what to do," she whispered as she finally broke down. "I can't dance anymore. I've  
lost the one stable thing in my life."  
  
p"No, you haven't. You still have Natalie and Mush," Blink said. Taking a deep  
breath, he continued, "And you have me."  
  
p"I do?" Samantha said.  
  
p"You know you always have."  
  
pSamantha smiled and looked away so Blink wouldn't see her blush. Blink pulled her  
chin back towards him so she was looking right into his eyes. He slipped his hand into  
hers.  
  
p"You know, I've missed your blushing." That only caused her to blush more but this  
time she didn't look away. "Now. You're going to dance. And you're going to do it like  
I know you've wanted to for the past seven months. No matter what your legs and your  
brain is telling you, I know deep down, in that heart of yours, you know like I know that  
you can dance. You've always been able to and you always will be able to."  
  
pBlink led her out to the middle of the studio floor and then let go of her hand. He  
continued over to the record player and opened up the bag he had been carrying with him.   
Slipping the record he pulled out of his bag onto the player, he joined Sam in that middle  
of the room.  
  
p"This is an easy song for you to dance to. I know it is. So you're going to suck up all  
the pain in your legs and dance. For me. For you. Because you know you can do it."  
  
p"I... I don't know... if I can anymore," Samantha said as her voice returned to the  
shaky, self-doubting it had had for the past seven months.  
  
p"You can do it. And if you falter, know that I'm right beside you to catch you. But  
you won't need me."  
  
pThe music began to play and Samantha recognized it immediately. She smiled at Blink  
and walked a little ways away from. Softly, she began to sing.  
  
p"We were strangers starting out on a journey  
brNever dreaming waht we'd have to go through  
brNow here we are I'm suddenly standing at the beginning with you"  
  
pBlink grasped Samantha's hand and gave it a small squeeze. He let go and gave her a  
look that told her she'd better get to dancing or else she'd have a lot of explaining to do.   
She smiled and began to slowly tiptoe around him.  
  
p"No one told me I was going to find you  
brUnexpected, what you did to my heart"  
  
pSam twirled around and stopped right beside Blink.  
  
p"When I lost hope you were there to remind me this is the start."  
  
pShe grabbed his hands and they began to dance together like they had done that first  
day in the studio.  
  
p"And life is a road and I want to keep going  
brLove is a river I want to keep flowin'  
brLife is a road now and forever, wonderful journey  
  
pI'll be there when the world stops churning  
brI'll be there when the storm is through  
brIn the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you"  
  
pSam found a new sort of energy radiating through her and her legs began to hurt less  
and less as she danced more and more. And before she knew it, the song was over and  
she hadn't faltered once. Smiling, she looked over at Blink. Blink held his arms open.  
  
pKnowing an invitation when she saw one, she ran into them and he spun her around.   
Setting her down, he grasped her head and kissed her. It was short but said so many  
things that he had never been able to express.  
  
p"So, what happens now?" Samantha asked.  
  
p"Well, I was hoping you would regain your status as the country's best ballerina and  
maybe become the world's best within the year. Me, I'm going to become an independent  
photographer. I mean, I can't let my wife wander around the country all by herself."  
  
p"Awww... that's so sweet of you-- wait a minute! Did you say wife?" Sam said, the  
shock evident.  
  
pBlink pulled a small box out of his back pocket and got down on one knee. "I should  
have done this long ago. Heck! I should have done it that first day I met you. Samantha  
Summers, will you marry me?"  
  
pSam began to cry but this time, there was no fear or doubt in her voice when she  
finally regained it. "Yes, I'll marry you. There's no one else I'd rather have in my life."  
  
pBlink smiled and slipped the ring on her finger. Suddenly, his face turned serious. "Do  
you want to know why I missed your show so many years ago?"  
  
p"It doesn't matter now. It shouldn't have mattered then. But I'm glad it did. It made  
me realize what my life was really about. And it made me realize that to be happy I only  
needed two things in my life."  
  
p"Well, I know one is dance," Blink said, "but what's the other?"  
  
p"You. All I ever needed... all I ever wanted... was you."  
  
pp align=center*****Disclaimer*****  
p"At The Beginning" is the property of Twentieith Century Fox, Donna Summer, and  
Richard Marx. It's the song in the movie Anastasia that played during the credits. "From  
This Moment On" is a song by Shania Twain and Bryan White on her Come On Over CD. 


End file.
